The Grand Bazaar.

Long before Iran was the '€œland of the Ayatollah'€ following the 1979 Revolution, it was known as the '€œland of prophets and poets'€. But today, people mostly associate Iran with one word: nuclear.

Departing from Kuala Lumpur, beautiful Iranian women with dyed hair and fashionable clothes got into the plane, but, as the plane entered Iranian air territory, the women covered their hair.

Contrary to the paranoia I had before, it was quite easy to obtain the visa on arrival. The visa officer checked my documents, asked the purpose of my visit and stamped a 15-day visa on my passport.

My host and I immediately headed to his family'€™s house in the Eastern part of Tehran. It was a five-story building, equipped with an elevator and a parking basement '€” a typical Tehranian house.

In the country, it is common for the people to build three-, five- or even seven-story houses and rented out some of the floors.

The Golestan Palace.
Neighborhoods in Tehran are quite crowded as more and more people from all around Iran have migrated.

With a population of about 8.3 million people, Tehran is the country'€™s largest city and 29th in the world by the population of its metropolitan area. So it was not a surprise to face traffic jams and pollution across the city.

Fortunately, the capital has the Tehran Metro; underground trains that enable people to reach every corner of the city without having to face the gridlock above.

During weekdays, particularly during the rush hours, the Metro is very crowded but women are able to sit in the regular coaches along with the men, or get into the women coaches. The Metro is relatively cheap and only costs 550 tomans (around 17 US cents) for two trips.

For tourists, everything is relatively affordable in Iran. In 2011, with just US$1, people could only get 1,500 toman. But sanctions against the Iranian nuclear program hit the domestic currency, until it reached 3,500 toman per US dollar in early June 2013.

There are numerous picturesque sites in Tehran, but three sites really left a lasting impression on me: the Golestan Palace, the Grand Bazaar and Azadi Square.

Tablecloths at the Grand Bazaar.
The Golestan Palace, or Khakeh Golestan in Persian, is more than 400 years old and is a UNESCO world heritage site.

The Palace was constructed during the Safavid dynasty, which ruled between 1502-1736 BC. The palace gained its fame when the Qajar dynasty chose Tehran and its capital and the palace as its residence.

Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the last shah of Iran, chose the Niavaran Palace as the royal residence, but still used Golestan for formal royal receptions.

Of all the chambers in the palace, the Talar-e Salam (Reception Hall) and the Talar-e Berilian (Hall of Brilliance) were the most breath-taking.

The floor of the Talar-e Salam is covered with intricate tiles, with outstanding mirror works at the end of the hall.

The same goes for the Hall of Brilliance, where the walls and ceilings were completely covered by mirrors. However, it was not as brilliant as it should be, as the inattentive Tehran administration had allowed the mirrors to dull. Many parts of the complex were also closed.

The faces of the Ayatollah are seen in every corner of the street.
The Tehran Grand Bazaar, or simply the Bazaar, is in the southern part of Tehran.

The Bazaar, just like the one in Istanbul, is split into corridors, each selling different types of goods, ranging from paper, spices and gold, to modern goods like toys and kitchen equipment.

The corridors stretch over 10 kilometers in length, yet, it was very crowded.

In the centuries following the introduction of Islam, travelers reported the growth of commerce in the area now occupied by the Bazaar but specific dates for when the Bazaar was constructed are hazy.

The carpets in the Bazaar were particularly beautiful, and it goes without saying, expensive. But for souvenir, tourists can buy very small rugs, around two or three square meters that are affordable at around $12. Iranian local chocolates and spices are also must-buy items.

After meandering around Tehran, including leisure time at its green and manicured parks, I picked a Thursday night to visit the icon of the Islamic Republic, Azadi Square.

The underground Tehran metro.
Being 50,000 meter square wide, the square is the largest square in Tehran. In the center, the Azadi Tower stands tall at 50-meters high.

The tower was built in 1971 for the 2,500th anniversary of the Persian Empire and is completely clad in clean-cut marble. The architect was Hoseein Amanat, who won a competition to design the monument.

Initially, it was named the Shahyad Tower, means the '€œKings'€™ Memorial'€. However, after the 1979 Revolution, the name was altered to Azadi Tower. In Persian, Azadi means '€œfreedom'€, which ironically, is contrary to the reality.

People in Tehran have a joke about the Azadi, saying that taxi drivers have the luxury of saying '€œAzadi, Azadi'€
without being detained by the police, while protesters will be arrested in less than a minute.

The tower was the center of the Green Movement '€”protests against Mahmoud Ahmadinejad'€™s victory in the 2009
Presidential Election.

Today, the people of Iran are still struggling to find the real azadi.

I realized, as I walked through the capital of the former Persian Empire, despite its labels, there are the other sides of Tehran '€” the ones overshadowed by the Ayatollah'€™s light.

'€” Photos by Tiola